Barca revitalized for title run-in as rivals stay close
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BARCELONA, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid resume a nail-biting La Liga title race tomorrow after all notched up victories on Wednesday.
Leader Barcelona, which ended a four-game winless streak by hammering Deportivo La Coruna 8-0 away, hosts struggling Sporting Gijon tomorrow.
Atletico battled to a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao to stay level on 79 points with Barcelona, which tops the table with a superior head-to-head record, and hosts Malaga.
Real stayed one point behind its title rivals after beating Villarreal 3-0 and is expected to be without top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo for the visit to struggling neighbor Rayo Vallecano.
The Portuguese forward was unable to finish the game against Villarreal after suffering cramp in stoppage time but eased concerns he had suffered a serious injury.
“All ok, thanks for the support,” Ronaldo said on Instagram.
Real, however, is expected to rest Ronaldo for the first time this season in the league in preparation for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg at Manchester City.
Gareth Bale could return after missing the Villarreal game but defensive midfielder Casemiro is suspended.
Barcelona defender Marc Bartra, who scored against Deportivo with a surging run into the box, said the thrashing would lift his team for the run-in.
“This came at the ideal moment because the teams behind us were closing in on us, so this convincing victory is not just three points, but also a statement of intent,” he said.
Wednesday’s goalfest was crucial to boost the team’s confidence after some poor performances, especially by its trio of stars — Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. They all scored against Deportivo, with Suarez finding the net four times to take his tally to 30 goals, one behind league leader Ronaldo. Messi scored in his second-consecutive game and Neymar ended a five-game scoring slump.
But Barcelona has lost its last two league games at the Nou Camp and faces a Sporting side fighting to avoid relegation. It welcomes back central defender Gerard Pique from suspension.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique began his career at Sporting, which came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 on Wednesday and climb out of the bottom three.
Real’s opponent Rayo Vallecano drew 1-1 with Malaga and is five points above the relegation zone.
Real has won all nine games against Rayo since it neighbor returned to the top flight in 2011, thrashing it 10-2 in December with Bale scoring four times.
Atletico is boosted by the return of captain Gabi against Malaga, but will miss center back Diego Godin, who injured his hamstring against Bilbao
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